Numerical computation of the genus of an irreducible curve within an algebraic set

The common zero locus of a set of multivariate polynomials (with complex coefficients) determines an algebraic set. Any algebraic set can be decomposed into a union of irreducible components. Given a one-dimensional irreducible component, i.e. a curve, it is useful to understand its invariants. The most important invariants of a curve are the degree, the arithmetic genus and the geometric genus (where the geometric genus denotes the genus of a desingularization of the projective closure of the curve). This article presents a numerical algorithm to compute the geometric genus of any one-dimensional irreducible component of an algebraic set.